Article

Definite and indefinite

Articles

•A/ An•The

Using Articles

• What is an article? Basically, an article is an adjective. Like adjectives, articles modify nouns.• a/an is used to modify non-specific or

non-particular nouns. • the as definite article • a/an as indefinite article.

the = definite articlea/an = indefinite article

For example, • If I say, "Let's read the book," I mean a specific

book. • If I say, "Let's read a book," I mean any book

rather than a specific book.Here's another way to explain it: • The is used to refer to a specific or particular

member of a group. • For example, "I just saw the most popular movie

of the year." • There are many movies, but only one particular

movie is the most popular. Therefore, we use the.

• "A/an" is used to refer to a non-specific or non-particular member of the group.

For example, "I would like to go see a movie." Here, we're not talking about a specific movie. We're talking about any movie. There are many movies, and I want to see any movie. I don't have a specific one in mind.

Let's look at each kind of article a little more closely.

Indefinite Articles: a and an"A" and "an" signal that the noun modified is indefinite, referring to any member of a group. For example:• "My daughter really wants a agift for Eid." This refers to any gift. We don't know which giftbecause we haven't found the gift yet.

• "Somebody call a policeman!" This refers to any policeman. We don't need a specific policeman; we need any policeman who is available.

• "When I was at the zoo, I saw an elephant!" Here, we're talking about a single, non-specific thing, in this case an elephant. There are probably several elephants at the zoo, but there's only one we're talking about here.

Remember, using a or an depends on the sound that begins the next word. So...

• a + singular noun beginning with a consonant: a boy; a car; a bike; a zoo; a dog • an + singular noun beginning with a vowel:

an elephant; an egg; an apple; an idiot; an orphan

• a + singular noun beginning with a consonant sound: a user (sounds like 'yoo-zer,' i.e. begins with a consonant 'y' sound, so 'a' is used); a university; a unicycle

Continue • If the noun is modified by an adjective,

the choice between a and an depends on the initial sound of the adjective that immediately follows the article:

• a broken egg • an unusual problem • a European country (sounds like ‘yer-o-

pi-an,' i.e. begins with consonant 'y' sound)

Remember, too..• In English, the indefinite articles are used

to indicate membership in a group:For example:• I am a teacher. (I am a member of a large

group known as teachers.) • Brian is an Irishman. (Brian is a member of

the people known as Irish.) • Seiko is a practicing Buddhist. (Seiko is a

member of the group of people known as Buddhists.)

Definite Article: the• Used before singular and plural nouns when the noun is

specific or particlar. The signals that the noun is definite, that it refers to a particular member of a group.

For example:• "The dog that bit me ran away." Here, we're talking about a specific dog, the dog that bit me.• "I was happy to see the policeman who saved my child!" Here, we're talking about a particular policeman. Even if we don't know the policeman's name, it's still a particular policeman because it is the one who saved the child.• "I saw the elephant at the zoo." Here, we're talking about a specific noun. Probably there is only one elephant at the zoo.

Count and Non count Nouns • The can be used with no count nouns, or the

article can be omitted entirely.• "I love to sail over the water" (some specific body of water) or • "I love to sail over water" (any water). • "He spilled the milk all over the floor" (some specific milk, perhaps the milk youbought earlier that day) or "He spilled milk all over the floor" (any milk).

"A/an" can be used only with count nouns.

For example:• "I need a bottle of water." • "I need a new glass of milk."Most of the time, you can't say, • "She wants a water," unless you're implying, say, a bottle of water.

Geographical use of the

DO NOT use the before:• names of most countries/territories: Italy, Mexico, Bolivia; however, the Netherlands, the Dominican Republic, the Philippines, the United States • names of cities, towns, or states: Seoul, Manitoba, Miami • names of streets: High St., Main St. • names of lakes and bays: Lake Titicaca, Lake Erie except with a group of lakes like the Great Lakes

DO NOT use the before:• names of mountains: Mount Everest, Mount Fuji except with ranges of mountains like the Andes or the Rockies or unusual names like the Matterhorn • names of continents Asia, Europe • names of islands Easter Island, Maui, Key Westexcept with island chains like the Aleutians, the

Hebrides, or the Canary Islands

Use the before:• names of rivers, oceans and seas: the

Nile, the Pacific • points on the globe: the Equator, the

North Pole • geographical areas: the Middle East,

the West • deserts, forests, gulfs, and peninsulas:

the Sahara, the Persian Gulf, the Black Forest, the Iberian Peninsula

Omission of Articles • Some common types of nouns that

don't take an article are:• Names of languages and nationalities:

Chinese, English, Spanish, Russian • Names of sports: volleyball, hockey,

baseball • Names of academic subjects:

mathematics, biology, history, computer science

Put a, an, the or nothing (-)1. My sister lives in …. big flat.2. “Where is … phone?” “In … kitchen”3. … River Nile runs into … Mediterranean

Sea.4. Most people like … animals.5. Do you play … tennis?6. … Music is too loud – please turn it down.7. Have you ever seen … Eiffel Tower?8. My brother is … doctor.9. Andy works at … Apollo Theatre.10.All our furniture is made of … wood.